V  S  c  . 


OO  M  E  facts 
^  about  gifts 
for  Missions 
during  the  year 
1907-08 


iS’y  George  C.  Thomas 

Treasurer 


Gifts  for  Missions  During 
the  Year  1907-08 

New  York,  September  15th,  1908. 

To  THE  Board  of  Missions  of  the  Domestic  and 
Foreign  Missionary  Society. 

Gentlemen: 

'  Herewith  I  present  as  fully  as  possible  the  detailed 
figures  for  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year.  It  will  be  seen  that 
the  total  contributions  from  all  sources  amounted  to 
$988,097.04,  or  say  $41,270.87  more  than  last  year,  while 
(as  all  the  members  of  the  Board  are  aware),  the  appro¬ 
priations  were  very  much  larger,  so  that  our  total  defi¬ 
ciency  (after  deducting  lapsed  balances  and  applying 
$141,961.79  of  legacies)  is  $48,517.50. 

As  this  deficiency  is  left  after  applying  this  $141,000  of 
legacies,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  gifts  of  the  living  Church 
this  year  have  not  met  the  appropriations  by  nearly 
$189,000,  although  the  showing  is  better  than  I  had  ex¬ 
pected  some  weeks  ago. 

It  is  with  a  feeling  of  regret  that  I  am  obliged  to  report 
another  deficit,  and  I  feel  in  duty  bound  to  say  to  the 
Board  that  while  the  financial  outlook  for  the  coming 
year  is  somewhat  more  reassuring  than  it  was  last  year  at 
this  time,  yet  I  am  thoroughly  satisfied  that  we  shall  have 
to  use  the  greatest  care  and  economy  and  should  not  in¬ 
crease  the  obligations  which  we  have  assumed,  at  least  for 
the  coming  year. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

George  C.  Thomas, 

Treasurer. 


The  Treasurer’s  Annual 
Statement 


September  15th,  1908. 

To  THE  Board  of  Missions  of  the  Domestic  and 
Foreign  Missionary  Society. 

Gentlemen: 

I  would  report  that  while  it  was  intended  to  close  the 
books  on  September  8th,  so  many  messages  and  telegrams 
were  received  every  day  asking  that  certain  items  be  re¬ 
ceived  and  included  in  the  figures  of  the  closing  year  to¬ 
ward  the  Apportionment,  it  was  decided  to  keep  the  books 
open  and  receive  money  up  to  September  12th  inclusive. 

The  contributions  for  the  year,  applying  upon  the  ap¬ 
propriations,  classified  in  the  usual  manner,  have  been  as 
follows : 


From  Parish  Offerings .  $372,637  00 

From  Gifts  of  Individuals .  104,685  58 


$477,322  58 

From  Sunday-schools . ’.  . .  .  135,277  61 

From  Branches  of  the  Woman’s 

Auxiliary  .  131,672  08 

From  Individual  Members  of  the 

Woman’s  Auxiliary .  7,242  22 

From  the  Junior  Auxiliary .  11,661  60 

From  Interest .  74,382  32 

Miscellaneous  Items .  12,078  06 

From  Men’s  Thank-offering,  for 

1907  deficiency .  138,460  57 


$988,097  04 


Comparing  the  foregoing  with  last  year  I  would  report 


an  increase  in 

Parish  offerings  of .  3j2I9  32 

Individual  offerings  of .  7,126  51 

Woman’s  Auxiliary  offerings  of..  12,671  17 

Interest  receipts  of .  11,303  35 

Miscellaneous  items  of .  7,739  61 

Men’s  Thank-offering,  for  1907 

deficiency  .  138,460  57 


$180,520  53  . 

And  a  decrease  in 

Sunday-school  offerings  of .  989  09 

Or  a  net  increase 

From  usual  sources 

of  .  $  41,070  87 

From  Men’s  Thank- 

offering  .  138,460  57 

-  $179,531  44 

It  will  be  noticed  also  that  the  offerings  of  the  Wom¬ 
an’s  Auxiliary  and  its  Junior  Branch,  including  the 
$74,709.34  withdrawn  from  the  United  Offering  of  1904 
and  1907  for  the  appropriations,  have  been  $150,575.90. 

The  total  of  contributions  from  parishes  and  indi¬ 
viduals  under  the  Apportionment  Plan,  during  the  six 
years  in  which  it  has  been  in  use  has  been  very  largely 
Increased  and  the  figures  are  about  double  those  of  seven 
years  ago.  In  1901  they  were  $235,993.81.  Last  year 
they  were  $466,976.75.  This  year  they  were  $477,322.58, 
or  a  gain  the  past  year  of  $10,345.83 ;  or  a  gain  as  com¬ 
pared  with  seven  years  ago  of  $241,328.77.  In  the  seven 
years  also  the  number  of  contributing  parishes  has  more 
than  doubled. 

In  1902,  the  first  year  of  the  Apportionment,  eight  dio¬ 
ceses  and  ten  missionary  districts  completed  their  appor¬ 
tionments  ;  a  total  of  eighteen.  This  year  twenty-one 


dioceses  and  twenty-six  missionary  districts  have  com¬ 
pleted  their  apportionments;  a  total  of  forty-seven. 
Tliis  year’s  list  is  as  follows : 


DIOCESES 


Arkansas 

Duluth 

East  Carolina 

Florida 

Kansas 

Kentucky 

Lexington 

Maine 

Michigan  City 

Montana 

New  Hampshire 


North  Carolina 

Oregon 

Pennsylvania 

Rhode  Island 

South  Carolina 

Vermont 

Virginia 

Western  Massachusetts 
West  Texas 
West  Virginia 


MISSIONARY  DISTRICTS 


Alaska 
Arizona 
Asheville 
Eastern  Oregon 
.  Honolulu 
Idaho 
Kearney 
Nevada 
New  Mexico 
North  Dakota 
Oklahoma 
Porto  Rico 
Sacramento 


Salina 

South  Dakota 

Southern  Florida 

Spokane 

The  Philippines 

Utah 

Western  Colorado 

Wyoming 

Africa 

Cuba 

Hankow 

Shanghai 

Tokyo 


I  think  we  have  every  reason  to  feel  encouraged  over 
the  success  which  has  attended  this  method  and  the 
spirit  in  which  the  Apportionment  Plan  has  been  ac¬ 
cepted  by  the  whole  Church,  We  have  tried  to  keep  the 


Church  constantly  posted  as  to  the  progress  that  has  been 
made  in  this  connection  by  monthly  detailed  reports  sent 
throughout  each  diocese,  and  also  to  members  of  the 
General  Convention,  to  our  Department  Secretaries,  and 
to  general  Church  and  diocesan  papers.  We  have  re¬ 
ceived  many  letters  of  appreciation  and  a  great  deal  of 
valuable  information  as  to  what  has  been  done  to  carry 
out  this  plan  in  the  various  dioceses  and  parishes. 

The  Lenten  offerings  from  the  Sunday-schools  con¬ 
tinue  to  be  most  gratifying.  Two  years  ago  there  was 
a  very  large  increase;  nearly  $17,000.  A  year  ago  the 
total  of  the  previous  year  was  slightly  exceeded.  This 
year  the  offering  is  only  $743.88  less.  The  amount  re¬ 
ceived  last  year  was  $137,914.43  from  3,807  Sunday- 
schools.  This  year  we  have  received  $137,170.55  from 
3,801  Sunday-schools. 

The  appropriations  of  the  Board  have  been  larger  than 
ever  before,  say  $1,040,115.76. 

Increased  and  more  widespread  efforts  have  been  put 
forth  this  year  to  secure  the  needed  funds  to  meet  these 
increased  obligations.  These  efforts  have  cost  more 
money ;  the  net  total  of  central  expenses  and  making  the 
work  known  to  the  Church  having  been,  for  administra¬ 
tion  and  collection,  $65,840.73 ;  for  printing  reports  of 
the  Board,  The  Spirit  of  Missions  for  the  clergy,  extra 
pages  in  The  Spirit  of  Missions,  pamphlets  and- leaflets 
for  gratuitous  distribution,  $39,429.22 ;  Department 
Secretaries,  $9,956.54;  or  a  total  of  $115,226.49.  The 
gross  receipts  of  the  Society  have  amounted  to 
$2,642,139.56.  The  percentage  of  central  expenses 
upon  the  gross  receipts  has  been  a  little  less  than  four 
and  four-tenths  per  cent!  (4^/10%)-  This  is  much 
lower  than  usual  because  during  the  year  we  have  re¬ 
ceived,  and  to  a  large  extent  paid  out,  the  Men’s  Mis¬ 
sionary  Thank-offering  and  the  Woman’s  Auxiliary 
United  Offering,  amounting  to  over  $i,ocx3,ooo,  and 
although  this  required  a  very  large  amount  of  addi¬ 
tional  work,  practically  no  additional  expense  was  in¬ 
curred.  Last  year  the  percentage  of  central  expenses 


was  eight  and  one-half  per  cent,  which  is  more  nearly 
the  usual  rate. 

The  deficiency  to  September  ist,  1907,  was  $138,460.57, 
and  was  met  by  an  appropriation  from  the  Men’s  Thank- 
offering  as  provided  for  when  that  offering  was  under¬ 
taken  three  years  ago. 

The  contributions  for  the  year,  $849,636.47,  together 
with  the  legacies  which  can  be  applied  toward  the  appro¬ 
priations  (including  $960  from  the  Martin  bequest  of 
some  years  ago),  say  $141,961.79,  do  not  cover  the  ap¬ 
propriations  of  the  year,  which  are  $1,040,115.76,  by 
$48,517.50,  which  is  the  deficiency  on  September  ist, 
1908. 

This  deficiency  has  been  temporarily  covered  by  the 
Reserve  Deposits.  These  are  sums  set  aside  a  number  of 
years  ago  by  the  Board  of  Managers  from  legacies  and 
other  sources,  amounting  to  $109,120.81,  to  meet  the  pay¬ 
ments  during  the  early  months  of  the  year  when  the  con¬ 
tributions  are  few.  The  Board  also  holds  in  the  same 
way  an  additional  fund  of  $12,189.48  for  China,  and  re¬ 
ceived  during  the  last  four  years  new  Reserve  Deposits 
to  protect  the  credit  of  the  Society  of  $115,000,  known  as 
the  “W.  M.  B.  Fund.”  A  fund  of  $100,000  to  be  known 
as  the  “Bessie  Moorhead  Thomas  Memorial  Fund,”  one- 
half  of  which  is  to  be  used  for  this  same  purpose,  as  an 
additional  Reserve  Deposit;  and  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Eleanor 
A.  Goldsborough,  deceased,  late  of  All  Saints’  Parish, 
Talbot  County  (in  the  Diocese  of  ‘Easton),  Maryland, 
$100,000;  also  the  gift  of  “A  Friend,”  in  the  Diocese  of 
New  York,  $7,500.  These  deposits  together  therefore 
now  make  $393,810.29;  and,  as  stated  above,  the  defi¬ 
ciency  to  September  ist,  1908,  is  temporarily  covered 
thereby. 

The  main  purpose  of  the  above  Reserve  Deposits,  as  has 
been  said,  was  to  meet  payments  in  the  early  months  of 
the  fiscal  year  when  the  contributions  are  light  and  when 
the  appropriations  must  be  paid  in  regular  amounts  every 
month  in  order  that  the  Board  might  thus  be  spared  the 
necessity  of  borrowing  money,  which  has  been  found  un- 


avoidable  until  this  reserve  was  established.  As  an  illus¬ 
tration,  in  the  first  six  months  of  this  past  year,  the  ap¬ 
propriations  were  $520,000,  while  the  contributions  were 
only  $237,000,  and  the  Reserve  Deposits  were  provided 
to  help  tide  over  such  a  period.  The  order  was,  in  estab¬ 
lishing"  these  deposits,  that  all  amounts  temporarily 
withdrawn  from  said  funds  during  the  year  should  be 
returned  thereto  before  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year,  if 
possible;  but  in  my  judgment  it  is  a  matter  of  the  most 
vital  importance  that  the  Reserve  Deposits  should  be  fully 
restored  at  the  earliest  practicable  moment. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

George  C.  Thomas, 

Treasurer. 


A  IvL  offerings  for  Mis- 
sions  should  be  sent  to 
George  C.  Thomas, 
Treasurer,  281  Fourth 
Avenue,  NEW  York. 

Copies  of  this  leaflet  may 
be  had  in  any  quantity  by 
asking  the  CorreSpond- 
iNG  Secretary,  281 
Fourth  Avenue,  NewYork 
for  leaflet  No.  990. 


